Retro Review: Dead Space

[Remilia Scarlet]

ONLY THE DEAD SURVIVE.

 

 

 

When you think survival, you normally think dark, scary hallways, being defenseless, constantly on the run. You hear a low growl, or something going bump in the night, and your first instinct is to run and hide, hoping for the abomination to pass by that locker you just entered. Dying battery cells, a flashlight, and wandering around aimlessly, trying to find your way out of the labyrinth you got lost in. Dead Space eschews all of that in favor of a more in-your-face approach to the horror genre. Oh, sure, it still retains plenty of the tropes that popularized the horror genre, such as jump scares and labyrinthine hallways, but it's motivating factor is the shock it forces upon players. The intense atmosphere is relentless, the darkness encroaching upon you, and the feeling that, despite having a versatile array of deadly tools, you are completely and utterly hopeless in your fight to survive. What makes this game so special? Let's take a closer look. Spoilers, obviously.

 

Something went wrong here, Isaac.

 

Let's start off with the story. Dead Space is set five centuries into the future. Earth's resources have been utterly ravaged, and the planet is no longer capable of supporting life, forcing humanity to set off into the stars in search of a new home. This search led to the process known as planet cracking, a way for colonials and corporations to find and mine valuable resources more efficiently. The first planet cracker starship was the USG Ishimura, the most famous and largest of it's kind. Sent to Aegis VII to (illegally) planet crack the rock for it's minerals, the crew uncover something far more sinister and valuable than gems - a Marker. Markers are ancient relics from an unknown era that, er, cleanse, the galaxy by, well, killing and resurrecting lifeforms into hideous creatures known as Necromorphs. After uncovering the Marker, the Aegis VII colony is completely wiped out and the infection spreads to the Ishimura, which is where the game begins. 

 

Your crack team of engineers is sent in to see what happened. After all attempts to raise comms with the gigantic ship fail, you (Isaac) are sent in to repair the comm tower. A simple plan that, unfortunately, goes completely haywire the instant you land on the ship. Your pilot is slaughtered, you end up cut off from your team, and now, it's a race to repair the tower and get the hell out of there!

 

The USG Ishimura, location of Isaac's worst nightmare.

 

Throughout the entirety of the game, Isaac is alone and desperate. He never has anyone watching his back - he must get through this alone, or become Necromorph fodder. The most communication that players will ever have with allies is over grainy video feed or radio, and even that is limited. The dark, cramped corridors of the Ishimura further lend to the feeling of loneliness and desperation. Blood drips down the walls, collects in large puddles and coats the floor and ceiling in grotesque testament to the massacre that took place only a few hours before. This is where the game truly shines. 

 

Always watch your back, Isaac.

 

The Necromorphs are coming. The grotesque beasts run at you, bladed arms flailing and roaring. You shoot the legs, but the monster keeps coming, crawling after you in defiance. You feel the metal wall bump as you back away into the corner, firing shot after shot at the relentless monster. Suddenly, another pair of arms grabs you from the ventilation shaft. You feel a sharp pain in your shoulder, and then see nothing as the Necromorph slices through your neck.

 

Dead Space's intensity comes from the relentlessness of it's antagonists, the Necromorphs - horrible, mutated, zombie-like creatures that arise from an alien virus. These are not just your average zombie. Necromorphs are intelligent, fierce, dangerous opponents to be avoided at all costs, and best fought from a distance. Killing them requires precision delimbing as they cannot be defeated by normal means, at least not easily. Failure to do so will result in a variety of very gruesome deaths, such as decapitation, Isaac being gibbed, crushing, being eaten, etc. Very nasty and horrific. 

 

To make surviving the outbreak easier, Visceral has been kind enough to give Isaac a variety of violent tools to equip, such as the plasma cutter, similar to a pair of shears, except, well, plasma-based. This precision tool allows Isaac to gib foes in a couple of shots, unlock ionic barriers and destroy laser mines from a distance.Secondary fire allows even further precision by flipping the tool sideways.

 

There is also the contact beam (my personal favorite), a weapon of devastating effect that fires a chargeable explosive beam, dismembering and incinerating all nearby enemies. The downside to this weapon is that it greatly slows down Isaac's movement and the ammo clips are mad expensive. There is also the Javelin, a gun that fires precision spear-like projectiles that pin enemies to the wall, the line gun - fires horizontal laser beams that make short work of enemy limbs, the plasma rifle - a highly accurate combat machine gun, and the ripper - a gun that fires razor sharp spinning blades held in place by kenesis.

 

Which brings me to the next set of tools Isaac has in his arsenal - kenesis and stasis. Kenisis allows Isaac to mentally grab and hold or throw various objects in the game. This will prove extremely useful in solving puzzles and conserving ammo - Isaac can use kenesis to literally hurl defeated enemies or portions of enemies at immediate threats! Stasis, on the other hand, allows Isaac to slow down specific threats and enemies, letting him get in a few extra shots or giving him time to escape. Fully upgraded, these powers make Isaac a killing machine.

 

Isaac's final ability is the curb stomp, a powerful crushing blow that allows him to instantly dismember and kill fallen enemies, destroy ammo and loot crates, and just completely own everything. Utilize it often - it may just save your life.

 

However, the versatility is not without fault. Combat is oftentimes a cumbersome chore to engage in. Reloading weapons is slow and the guns themselves are often unwieldy. I realize that this is to add to the intensity, but it comes across as more of a faulty mechanic than actual game design. Oftentimes, I have been subjected to unfair and cheap deaths because of Isaac's painfully slow reaction times - getting knocked back by a Necromorph, only to be beheaded by one off-screen while recovering is infuriating and cheap. Aiming is also incredibly slow and the combat rifle has a very high kick rate, making killing anything with it a task unto itself. The combat just feels archaic and outdated, and is not satisfying to use.

 

Stomp.

 

The darkness encroaches, but is it really that scary, Isaac?

 

The first couple of hours playing Dead Space, I was scared shitless. The dark corridors, the eerie sounds in the vents, the (fake) dead bodies. But, after playing all the way to chapter 8, it became less scary and more of an obstacle to overcome. Sure, the first few bodies I passed that tried to eviscerate me were pretty horrific, but after 26 of them trying, it became a routine. Solve this puzzle, fight off the quarantine, fix this power source - SURPRISE MOTHERFUCKER!!! This is the formula that Dead Space, however great it may be, unfortunately falls victim to. It tries so hard to deviate from the tropes of yesterday that it falls victim to it's own within hours of starting. However, some of it can be forgiven because of it's successes at what it does do - provides an intense, engaging experience, an excellent story and terrific horror - while it lasts.

 

If you have not played the game, do it now, but don't expect anything revolutionary. Dead Space is a great game, but design flaws and overuse of jump scares hold it back from being something truly industry changing.

 

Final Verdict: 8.7/10

Edited October 23, 2015 by AnimeDreama

[GoldenShaka]

 

 

If you have not played the game, do it now, but don't expect anything revolutionary. Dead Space is a great game, but The Last of Us it is not.

 

Final Verdict: 8.7/10

 

 

 

Even when right now it feels dated, for me Dead Space is almost a masterpiece, always above of TLOU.

As you said due the clunky gameplay/combat cannot reach an Outstanding score, which it was corrected in DS2.

But still, I love it, one of my favorite ps3 games.

[PREDRAG-K]

Good review, but that last line seems very weird and out of place. Dead Space was far more "revolutionary" and original than the Last of Us. I also don't think you can compare the two (besides being 3rd person shooters), so it seems weird to put that in there. That's like a reviewer saying, "GTAV is a great game, but it's no Mario Kart".

So yeah, good review overall, but I would've left that last line out.

[Lord_of_Ra]

Good review, but that last line seems very weird and out of place. Dead Space was far more "revolutionary" and original than the Last of Us. I also don't think you can compare the two (besides being 3rd person shooters), so it seems weird to put that in there. That's like a reviewer saying, "GTAV is a great game, but it's no Mario Kart".

So yeah, good review overall, but I would've left that last line out.

This.

 

A very solid review in my opinion. While it is true that Dead Space becomes somewhat repetitive later on, it's the introduction of new enemies and one particular 'invincible' necromorph chase scene (or scenes) that keep you hooked imo.

 

Great score btw.

Edited October 23, 2015 by Lord_of_Ra

[Remilia Scarlet]

Good review, but that last line seems very weird and out of place. Dead Space was far more "revolutionary" and original than the Last of Us. I also don't think you can compare the two (besides being 3rd person shooters), so it seems weird to put that in there. That's like a reviewer saying, "GTAV is a great game, but it's no Mario Kart".

So yeah, good review overall, but I would've left that last line out.

 

What else could I compare it to? They're both survival horror, both contain zombies, elements of hopelessness and intensity. The only difference is that one is a sci-fi futuristic horror game. What I meant by that last line is that TLOU is far more revolutionary in its storytelling and character development. TLOU set a bar so high for engaging story and horror that very few can match it. In my opinion, Dead Space cannot. I don't want people who have played TLOU but not this to go in expecting an absolutely amazing and mindblowing horror game - it's not. It's great, it's scary, it's fun, but it's not mindblowing. I respect your opinion, though.

 

I don't know, it's just what I thought of when I typed that out. My logic seems weird to a lot of people but makes sense to me.

Edited October 23, 2015 by AnimeDreama

[GoldenShaka]

Good review, but that last line seems very weird and out of place. Dead Space was far more "revolutionary" and original than the Last of Us. I also don't think you can compare the two (besides being 3rd person shooters), so it seems weird to put that in there. That's like a reviewer saying, "GTAV is a great game, but it's no Mario Kart".

So yeah, good review overall, but I would've left that last line out.

Well, TLOU it's not a survival perse but due its survival elements many people consider it a survival game. 

You can read everywhere people saying how terrified they feel evading the infected ones, and totally forget the rest of the game.

I understand you but I don't think that it's totally out of place.

[damon8r351]

7 years of existence doesn't make something "retro".

[Condemned09]

you did a great review i absolutely love Dead Space

[GoldenShaka]

What else could I compare it to? They're both survival horror, both contain zombies, elements of hopelessness and intensity. The only difference is that one is a sci-fi futuristic horror game. What I meant by that last line is that TLOU is far more revolutionary in its storytelling and character development. TLOU set a bar so high for engaging story and horror that very few can match it. In my opinion, Dead Space cannot. I don't want people who have played TLOU but not this to go in expecting an absolutely amazing and mindblowing horror game - it's not. It's great, it's scary, it's fun, but it's not mindblowing. I respect your opinion, though.

 

I don't know, it's just what I thought of when I typed that out. My logic seems weird to a lot of people but makes sense to me.

Well actually now that you were more detailed I'm not agree with you, Dead space it's trully a horrror/survival game, TLOU do not.

It just share some elements.

Its storytelling comes from Uncharted Series, that one would be the revolutionary one in that aspect.

What TLOU did great was character development.

Edited October 23, 2015 by GoldenShaka

[Remilia Scarlet]

7 years of existence doesn't make something "retro".

 

It's just a title. Please make comments actually pertaining to the body of the review.

[PREDRAG-K]

What else could I compare it to?

You wouldn't. Unless you're reviewing a sequel, in which case it's totally fair to compare to the previous game(s) in the series.

I don't want people who have played TLOU but not this to go in expecting an absolutely amazing and mindblowing horror game - it's not. It's great, it's scary, it's fun, but it's not mindblowing.

Well, if this review was specifically for people who played Last of Us, but not Dead Space, then that makes sense. For anyone who hasn't played either, and is looking for a new game to get, it doesn't make any sense to put that in there. Let's say someone reads the whole review, and thinks "Wow, this sounds great." Then they read that last line, and think "Wait, what's Last of Us? Apparently it's better than this game. I guess I'll just get that instead." Now your review did nothing but get the reader to look into the Last f Us, and ignore Dead Space, because you told them Dead Space wasn't as good.

You should generally leave those types of comparisons out, and let people play both and make up their own minds on which is better. But at the end of the day, this isn't a professional review on IGN or anything, so what I said doesn't matter too much. Just something to think about, if you were looking at going into some sort of gaming review "career".

[damon8r351]

It's just a title. Please make comments actually pertaining to the body of the review.

 

I'm sorry, I thought it was clear that my incredulity with the title was shorthand for the review as a whole. I'll do better next time.

[CandiBunni]

What else could I compare it to? They're both survival horror, both contain zombies, elements of hopelessness and intensity. The only difference is that one is a sci-fi futuristic horror game. What I meant by that last line is that TLOU is far more revolutionary in its storytelling and character development. TLOU set a bar so high for engaging story and horror that very few can match it. In my opinion, Dead Space cannot. I don't want people who have played TLOU but not this to go in expecting an absolutely amazing and mindblowing horror game - it's not. It's great, it's scary, it's fun, but it's not mindblowing. I respect your opinion, though.

 

I don't know, it's just what I thought of when I typed that out. My logic seems weird to a lot of people but makes sense to me.

I wouldn't consider Dead Space survival horror. It's more action horror than anything, just as RE4 was. 

I do find the 8.7 score rather odd. What separates an 8.6 and an 8.7, or an 8.7 and an 8.8? It just seems rather arbitrary. At least given the situation you provided as example of cheap or unfair gameplay moments, I don't believe that particular instance to be so. Certainly the enemy must have already made its entrance, and you simply failed to take note of it, or judge its position, and certainly it was your fault for allowing the first Necromorph to knock you down

I'd also have to disagree with combat being poorly designed or archaic. If a game wishes to induce horror or helplessness in a player, then I see nothing wrong with doing so with the actual mechanics, rather than just situation to situation. 

Take RE 1 - 3 and then RE 4.  By only allowing players to shoot forwards, up, down, and not allowing them any form of precision, as well as fixing the camera and forcing slower, more methodical movement upon them, the developers made the player feel much more stressed, anxious, and fearful as to whether or not they would be able to get out of any given situation, or at least make it through with enough resources for the next. This was helped by the scarcity of ammunition, as well as the aforementioned design.

In RE4, you're allowed much more precise aiming, manual control of the camera, ammo is much more plentiful, you can stun enemies and finish them with a quick and powerful melee, and even with the tank controls still intact, all of these things resulted in a far less tense, stressful, and frightening experience. You no longer felt quite so helpless, and it's hard to be scared when you feel as though you've a good chance against whatever the game throws at you. Not to mention that the enemies 

Dead Space was certainly intense, and at times creepy, but as with RE4, the player is given too much control, and I personally never felt frightened, due to all of the same designs as RE4, and enemies being (arguably) easier to take down. 

All in all, though, it was a pleasant review~ Still think the 10 scale score system is silly, more so when you get into .1 - .9, but I digress.

[Remilia Scarlet]

You wouldn't. Unless you're reviewing a sequel, in which case it's totally fair to compare to the previous game(s) in the series.

Well, if this review was specifically for people who played Last of Us, but not Dead Space, then that makes sense. For anyone who hasn't played either, and is looking for a new game to get, it doesn't make any sense to put that in there. Let's say someone reads the whole review, and thinks "Wow, this sounds great." Then they read that last line, and think "Wait, what's Last of Us? Apparently it's better than this game. I guess I'll just get that instead." Now your review did nothing but get the reader to look into the Last f Us, and ignore Dead Space, because you told them Dead Space wasn't as good.

You should generally leave those types of comparisons out, and let people play both and make up their own minds on which is better. But at the end of the day, this isn't a professional review on IGN or anything, so what I said doesn't matter too much. Just something to think about, if you were looking at going into some sort of gaming review "career".

 

That actually makes a lot more sense. I'll remove that bit. Thanks for that.

I wouldn't consider Dead Space survival horror. It's more action horror than anything, just as RE4 was. 

I do find the 8.7 score rather odd. What separates an 8.6 and an 8.7, or an 8.7 and an 8.8? It just seems rather arbitrary. At least given the situation you provided as example of cheap or unfair gameplay moments, I don't believe that particular instance to be so. Certainly the enemy must have already made its entrance, and you simply failed to take note of it, or judge its position, and certainly it was your fault for allowing the first Necromorph to knock you down

I'd also have to disagree with combat being poorly designed or archaic. If a game wishes to induce horror or helplessness in a player, then I see nothing wrong with doing so with the actual mechanics, rather than just situation to situation. 

Take RE 1 - 3 and then RE 4.  By only allowing players to shoot forwards, up, down, and not allowing them any form of precision, as well as fixing the camera and forcing slower, more methodical movement upon them, the developers made the player feel much more stressed, anxious, and fearful as to whether or not they would be able to get out of any given situation, or at least make it through with enough resources for the next. This was helped by the scarcity of ammunition, as well as the aforementioned design.

In RE4, you're allowed much more precise aiming, manual control of the camera, ammo is much more plentiful, you can stun enemies and finish them with a quick and powerful melee, and even with the tank controls still intact, all of these things resulted in a far less tense, stressful, and frightening experience. You no longer felt quite so helpless, and it's hard to be scared when you feel as though you've a good chance against whatever the game throws at you. Not to mention that the enemies 

Dead Space was certainly intense, and at times creepy, but as with RE4, the player is given too much control, and I personally never felt frightened, due to all of the same designs as RE4, and enemies being (arguably) easier to take down. 

All in all, though, it was a pleasant review~ Still think the 10 scale score system is silly, more so when you get into .1 - .9, but I digress.

 

I don't know, it's just such a common way for reviews to end their dissection of a game, it just seemed natural. The scale is just a way to rate the greatness of a game. That's how I've always done it, even before actually doing reviews of media. I still stand by my previous statements on the combat, but I appreciate you taking the time to read and comment.

[PREDRAG-K]

There you go, the new line is much better. You are essentially saying the same thing as before, but this one leaves out the comparison and nicely ties the whole review together. Is a great conclusion to the review, and a great line for anyone who didn't read the review, but jumped to the end. They know the major points of your review, and the score. Then they can go back and read it, to get the in-depth analysis. Exactly what the conclusion should do.

[Slipknot_rooney]

Can't say I ever had a problem with the combat, sure reloading was slow, but it would make you think about your shots, rather than shooting as quick as possible, which I quite like. Plus you could get faster speeds with nodes. I never thought of it as a faulty mechanic.

 

That of course is my view, I'm not saying you're wrong at all, this is a good review and I enjoyed reading it. Nice job!

[Jak]

What else could I compare it to? They're both survival horror, both contain zombies, elements of hopelessness and intensity. The only difference is that one is a sci-fi futuristic horror game. What I meant by that last line is that TLOU is far more revolutionary in its storytelling and character development. TLOU set a bar so high for engaging story and horror that very few can match it. In my opinion, Dead Space cannot. I don't want people who have played TLOU but not this to go in expecting an absolutely amazing and mindblowing horror game - it's not. It's great, it's scary, it's fun, but it's not mindblowing. I respect your opinion, though.

 

I don't know, it's just what I thought of when I typed that out. My logic seems weird to a lot of people but makes sense to me.

(This reply is aimed at the discussion going on a bout DS being more revolutionary than TLOU.)

 

This. Because this review is solely exclusive to Dead Space only, she's right. Now if this was a trilogy review then the revolutionary battle between it and TLOU, then the DST would put up a much much bigger fight, but DS by itself is not as revolutionary as TLOU. It just didn't get near that level until the sequels hit.

Edited October 24, 2015 by Mar

[30 Year Old Boomer]

Great review my plushie goddess friend! Hope to see moar from you!

[Lord_of_Ra]

The last sentence is much more adequate now. Just wanted to point that out

 

Take it as a constructive criticism. Try no to compare two different IPs when making a review.

 

Edit: PREDRAG beat me to it

Edited October 24, 2015 by Lord_of_Ra

[Remilia Scarlet]

The last sentence is much more adequate now. Just wanted to point that out

 

Take it as a constructive criticism. Try no to compare two different IPs when making a review.

 

Edit: PREDRAG beat me to it

Constructive criticism is always appreciated.

[AffectatiousDonk]

Great review, great game - smashed through it in 3 days last month highly recommend 

[Dantes_994]

Few games feel dated to me and Dead Space isn't one of those. I will always like DS2 over the first one but damn was this one an amazing game! Well worth the money and the time anyone spends with it.

[Hourisathand]

I'd take Dead Space over The Last of Us any day.

[Nyxanity]

still scariest game on ps3 along with siren blood curse